-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- iPhone 5 owners can now get broken display screens replaced while they wait at Apple retail stores , in what could be the first step in a move to make repairs quicker and cheaper .

An Apple Store employee confirmed by phone Tuesday that cracked iPhone 5 screens can now be replaced on site for $ 149 . An Apple spokesperson later confirmed as much .

Previously , the repair would have required mailing in the phone and would have cost $ 229 for customers who had n't purchased the company 's AppleCare insurance .

The move comes less than a month after , according to reports , Apple employees were informed of a new policy under which the company plans to begin repairing mobile devices instead of routinely replacing them .

The blog AppleInsider quoted an unnamed Apple tech-staff member saying the shift would save the company $ 1 billion .

As of now , older iPhones , along with iPads and iPods , ca n't get the on-site screen fix . But more options may be on their way .

The AppleInsider post , which accurately reported that display replacements would be rolled out in June , said that by July , cameras , sleep/wake buttons and logic boards also will be replaced in stores . The Apple spokesperson would not comment on plans .

Apple Store employees already had been able to repair or replace parts like speakers , receivers and batteries .

While trimming its own costs , Apple also could be cutting into a cottage industry that 's sprung up around its market-leading smartphones and tablets -- third-party repairs .

On the iPhone repair site Quick iFix , the price to fix the display on an iPhone 5 had dropped to $ 139 on Tuesday , down from $ 174 last month .

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Apple retail stores now repair iPhone 5 displays while you wait

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Fixing a screen costs $ 149 , down from $ 229 for a replacement

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Reports say the change is first of more in-store repairs planned